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N0. 6Il,682. Patented Oct. 4, I898. H. ENGEL.

COMBINED BUUNDABOUT AND ELEVATOR.

(Application filed Jan. 28, 1895.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

m: NORRIS PETERS c0, ucmumouyusnmoron. n cy N0. 6H,682. Patented Oct. 4,I398. 'H. ENGEL.

, COMBINED ROUNDABOUT AND ELEVATOR.

(Application filed Jan. 28; 1895.) No Model.) 2 Sheets$heet 2.

heights.

NrrED, STATES ATENT FFTQE.

HUGO ENGEL, or BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO ARTHUR Boson, or SAME PLACE.

COMBINED ROUNDABOUT AND ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 611,682, dated October4, 1898. Application filed January 28, 1895. Serial No. 536,459. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGO ENGEL, engi- Beer, of 3 Pankstrasse, Berlin,N., in'the German Empire, have invented Improvements in a CombinedRoundabout and Elevator, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The subject of this invention is a roundabout in which the gondolas orcars not only receive a rotary movement, but are lifted and lowered.

The invention is applicable to roundabouts as ordinarily used for fairsand similar purposes, and it may also be applied for more usefulpurposes. For instance, the cars may be carried upward arounda hightower, such as are constructed for exhibitions and which serve to affordan extensive view of the surrounding country.

This invention may be carried out in various forms of construction, andin order that it may be the better understood I now proceed to describethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to theletters marked thereon.

The invention is shown in three modifications, which will probably befound preferable to other forms of construction.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a construction designed forconsiderable Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic vertical section through the same.Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the tower with a view of the ringwhich carries the cars. Fig. 4 is a view on the line x 00 of Fig. 3.Fig. 5 is a front view of a part of the ring which carries the cars.Fig. 6 is partly a side elevation and partly a vertical section throughFig. 5.

For the sake of clearness Figs. 3 to 6 are drawn to a larger scale thanthe other figures.

The construction shown in Figs. 1 to 6 consists principally of afoundation A, Figs. 1 and 2, on which is erected the tower, which ispreferably constructed of iron. A ring G is carried vertically up anddown on this tower without receiving any rotary motion. The top of thetower carries the platform of the prospect-tower. The essential part ofthis construction is the ring 0, which may be made of metal plates. Thering 0 carries a platform Ct on its upper side and a platform I) on itslower side. (See Fig.6.) The platform C6 is level with the platform ofthe foundation A when the ring is in its lowest position and carries thedriving mechanism of the whole apparatus, described hereinafter. Theattendants stand on the platform a,which is surrounded by a grating. Atthe highest position the platform a is level with a door t, Fig. 1,which leads to a platform 75, Fig. 2, in the interior of the tower andby which the visitors pass over a short spiral staircase t to theprospect-platform B.

The lower platform I) of the ring 0 carries a circular track 0, on whichtravels a second ring D. The latter, which is shown in Fig. 3 partly inplan, in Fig. 4 in transverse section, and in Figs. 5 and 6 partly infront elevation, consists of radial arms d, which are connected to oneanother at their inner ends by U-shaped rods d and grating (1 The ring Dis provided at its inner side with guiding-rollers (1 which serve toguide the ring on the outer walls of the ring 0 and to ease thecarrying-wheels e sidewise. The carrying-wheels e carry the ring D. Theyare arranged under four or six arms and are carried by plummer-blocks e.The gondolas or cars E, carrying the passengers, are arranged on thearms d.

In order to reduce as much as possible the power required for theraising and lowering of the ring carrying the driving mechanism and thecars, the apparatus hereinbefore described is suspended on chains f,guided in rollers f, Fig. 2,which carry on their free ends acounterweight f structed so as to be suitable for transportation, avessel containing water is used as counterweight f so that it may beemptied when the roundabout is to be transported from place to place inorder to reduce the weight to be carried. The tower is suitablyconstructed of strong U or double bearers g, of T iron or steel,connected at certain distances by rings g and supported by columns Fig.4.

The raising and lowering of the ring G is conveniently effected by meansof two chains 0, arranged each between two diametrically oppositebearers g in such a manner that the If the roundabout is to be conendsare fastened to the top and bottom of the tower.

The apparatus is conveniently driven by an electromotor 71., whosemovement is transmitted to the main axle i by means of suitabletransmitting-gear. The main axle icarries two pairs of couplings in themanner that is usual with cranes of modern construction. The loosehalves of the couplings are formed as bevel-wheels 2: and 2'respectively, into which engage bevel-wheels 7t and Z, respectively. Themotor is always rotated in one direction, and therefore rotates the axle2' in the same direction. The be vel-wheel 7t drives a worm in, rotatingthe wheel m, carried 011 the axle m. The two ends ofthe axle m carrybevel-wheels which drive bevel-wheels on the axles M and n, and thusrotate the axles a and n in opposite directions to one another.

The chain 0 runs up and down on guidingrollers 0, arranged above oneanother in pairs on joint pl um lner-blocks 0, carried on the ring 0.Above these guiding-rollers is arranged a chain Windlass-wheel 0 carriedby the free ends of the axles nand )1, respectively, and rotatedthereby. The second coupling, with the bevel-wheels t operates thebevel-wheel Z, the rotation of which is transmitted by suitable gearingto an axle Z The free end of this axle Z carries a friction-disk Zpressed against a ring 0', fixed to the arms (1, which therefore whenrotated gives a circular movement to the cars or gonclolas. By means ofthis arrangement of the driving mechanism the engineer is able toexecute the following three movements of the roundabout by simplyactuating the levers p and 9 without leavinghis place: First,the ringmay be raised and lowered without rotating the gondolas or cars; second,the gondolas or cars may travel around the ring without the latter beingraised or lowered; third, the ring may be raised or lowered and thegondolas may travel round the tower to the right or to the left.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is-

1. A roundabout consisting of the combination of atower, a ringsurrounding said tower, stationary vertical chains, power mechanism onsaid ring engaging said chains to move said ring, and gonclolas or carsrevolubly supported on said ring.

2. The combination of a rotary tower, a ring movable up and downthereon, a power mechanism on said ring for raising and lowering it,stationary vertical means for engagement by said mechanism cars rotaryon said ring, a power mechanism on the ring for revolving said cars, andmechanism for rotating the tower, substantially as set forth.

HUGO ENGEL.

\Vitn esses:

KARL FRANZ, Sin, O'rro FABIAN.

